Rainy Mondays
by Walkinthegarden
Summary: It's a rainy Monday when a teenager walks into the Dragonfly Inn holding a baby carrier, and Lorelai will show this girl the same kindness she was shown so many years ago.
1. The New Girl

Lorelai hates Mondays, especially rainy, cold, nobody at the inn Mondays. Without much to do, the caffeine addict is sitting on the counter flipping through a magazine. Bored out of her skull, Lorelai is about to down her eighth cup of coffee when the front door opens and a soaked female in a trench coat with a baby carrier enters looking highly exasperated and ready to cry.

"Hey, what were you doing outside? It's raining like its monsoon season in Japan," Lorelai asks as she hops off the counter, grabbing her own coat from its hook. Before he female can answer, Lorelai is at her side, tugging off the dripping sweater and throwing her own, dry coat over the newcomer's shivering shoulders. She is about to say more when the stranger turns towards her.

Lorelai is assaulted with memories when she sees that the female is just a girl, with a young angular face and large gray eyes that are filled with tears. Her skin is beautiful and pale, but her perfect complexion is marred by three dark purple bruises. One is splashed across the right part of her forehead before disappearing into her hairline, another is at a direct diagonal to the first on the left of her chin, directly beneath the third, a black eye.

"How old are you?" Lorelai asks sadly as she looks into familiar desperate eyes.

"I'm eighteen," the girl replies, looking down at the baby carrier she'd set on the floor. The baby boy is fast asleep, his hand smashed against his chubby cheek. He looked to be about seven or eight months old. "I'm sorry, could we stay here? Just until the rain stops?" the girl asks hopefully, the tears threatening to spill over and down her cheeks.

"Of course," Lorelai says with a nod, smiling sadly as the girl visibly relaxed some. "Where are you from? Why are you walking by yourself with him?"

"Hartford, I got on a bus and it ended here. I left my husband. My parents made me marry him when they found out. I'm… tired of him hitting me."

"Do you need a place to stay? A job? We have a small area in the back you could stay in and we always need another maid," Lorelai told her, repeating the same words Mia once told her.

"I don't know how to clean," the girl admits sheepishly, the same way Lorelai herself had said it twenty-three years ago.

"I'll teach you," Lorelai replies, placing one arm around the wet girl and picking up the baby carrier with the other. Without another word, she led the stranger towards the back. Mia had showed her kindness and she would show this girl the same.


	2. Meeting Rory and Luke

Rory is exhausted when she arrives for a surprise visit with her mother and (step) father. While she wants desperately to see the mother she hasn't seen for nearly four months, she's half-starved and Luke's was on her schedule for the day anyway, so she pulled into the first available parking spot and barely stopped to pull the keys from the engine as she sprints towards the front door.

She's only slightly damp by the time she makes it through the door, but she doesn't care either way, pulling off her jacket and throwing it to an empty table. The diner is nearly empty because of the rain so there is no one she knows to alert Luke to her arrival.

"Be right there!" Luke calls, and with a sneaky smile, Rory sits right behind him at the counter, arms crossed. She exchanges a smile with Caesar who starts her order without any instruction.

Five minutes later, Luke still hasn't turned around and Rory is tired of waiting. Without a second thought she hoists herself onto the counter and swings her legs over to the other side. She hasn't done this since she was ten years old but she's feeling nostalgic, so she reaches one arm over Luke's shoulder, towards the coffee. She sees him visibly freeze and smirks when he whirls around to yell only to freeze when he sees her sitting there.

"Rory?" he asks, as if a memory is flashing across his mind.

"Are you going to stand there like a fish out of water or give me a hug sometime in this century?" she asks with a wide smile, reaching out her arms childishly.

"Of course… I mean… what are you doing here?" he prods, sweeping her into his arms.

"Obama has a stop a half hour from here and the press isn't allowed so I figured I'd swing by and see everyone," she replies, pulling away (but not before stealing a kiss from him).

"Well it's good to see you kiddo. Come on, I'll pack your food and come with you to go see your mother."

The two make their way over to the Dragonfly Inn, ready to surprise Lorelai with Rory's unexpected arrival, only to be surprised themselves. Sitting on the couch is a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes with purple bruises on her face. Across from her is Lorelai, laughing, with a giggling baby boy bouncing on her knee.

"Rory!" Lorelai exclaims, jumping up from her seat to throw her arms around the reporter.

"Mom!" Rory cries out, mindful of the infant on her mother's hip as she hugs her.

"Oh fruit of my loins and prodigal daughter, you have returned, to the one and only Dragonfly Inn, host to the finest and me," Lorelai says with a smile as she hoists the child higher up onto her hip. "Oh and Luke, you better watch out because this little devil is stealing my heart. This is Cody and Molly Jameson."

"Molly Jameson as in daughter and heiress to the Cunningham Trading Company and wife of Terrance Jameson, the heir of Emrys Technology?" Rory blurts in shock, having met Roy and Liz Cunningham and Sandor and Elle Jameson at a few functions she attended with her grandparents.

Rory instantly regrets her outburst when Molly's eyes widen slightly and her hand begins to tremble. She opens her mouth to speak but Lorelai cuts her off, "She's decided to come slum it with us common-folk, to escape the Hartford ways and raise her son with a group of people who know the words to every Metallica song there is."

"A superior form of people," Rory quickly states, hoping to backtrack from her outburst. "Well it's nice to meet you Molly, I'm Rory and this is Luke."

"Nice to meet you Molly. I hope you hate coffee. I don't think I can handle a third coffee addict."

"More of a tea girl myself," Molly replies, visibly relieved to be on a new topic.

Lorelai laughs, "Tea, the bane of our existence."

* * *

><p><strong>An I'm gunna be honest, this was supposed to be a oneshot, but the overwhelming want for this story to continue has convinced me to compromise. This chapter is to establish the story, then the next will start the jump of chapters around to the important parts of Molly and Cody's life. For instant, the next chapter is when Cody first crawls and the next will have Terrance Jameson showing up to try and get Molly back, etc etc...**

**Now to the person that asked to know when this takes place, I ask that they reference the second to last paragraph in chapter 1.**


	3. Crawling

**Crawling**

It's been a month since Molly came to work at the Dragonfly Inn, and under Lorelai's instruction she's gotten quite good at her job. The customers love her and the staff adore both her and her son. She's brought a sense of family to the Inn, strengthening the bonds between the staff with a sweet smile and an easy laugh. They've banded together to protect her, the girl who came into their lives with an upturned face and a sleeping angel.

Since her arrival, Luke has fallen into the habit of bringing Lorelai lunch in a thinly veiled excuse to check up on Miss Molly and little Cody. It's become painfully obvious to everyone but her, that the diner owner has developed a sweet spot for her. Not that it's any surprise, Luke has a reputation for taking in fatherless teenagers.

He sees her the minute he walks in. Her bruises are fading but they still look dark and menacing against her pale skin. She's standing at the counter, chatting happily with Lorelai while Cody plays in the playpen. Molly's eyes are filled with laughter and she looks at ease for the first time since he's known her. For once there is no panic behind her eyes, no worry lined on her face, and no frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. It warms his heart to see her like this; she's been so skittish these past few weeks, always looking over her shoulder, waiting for either her parents or her husband to pop up out of nowhere. He still can't understand how parents can watch their daughter be beaten by her husband and not only refuse to step in, but expect her to stay with him. How can parents do that to their child? To their grandchild?

Luke takes a deep breath, not willing to allow himself to get worked up. He doesn't want to put Molly on edge again. He's about to make his presence known, when Cody lurches himself forward onto his hands and knees, something the boy's been doing all month but still stops Luke's heart every time. This time is different however, instead of rocking on his hands and knees he actually skirts his chubby hand forward. Now Luke doesn't like kids, they're sticky and gross, but he's not a tin man.

"He's crawling!" Lorelai shouts suddenly, making everyone around them stop in their tracks.

"Oh my, Cody!" Molly squeals as she crouches down beside the playpen.

"I would hope he's yours, unless there is something you need to tell us," Luke finally cuts in, leaning in to kiss his wife while Molly scoops her son up into her arms. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke sees Lorelai's faraway look. He wonders what she's thinking about. Is she seeing herself twenty-three years ago? Or is she seeing what it'll be like when Rory has children?

"I need to tell Sookie," Molly squeals as she whisks Cody away to the kitchen.

"I want one," Lorelai says the minute Molly's disappeared into the kitchen.

"One what?"

Lorelai turns towards him, a far off smile on her face. "I want another kid."

This throws Luke for a curveball. Lorelai has mentioned having another kid once or twice, but it was always in passing or she never brought it up again. He can't imagine a kid any better than Rory, though the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks he wouldn't mind one like Molly. Molly's kind like Rory, witty like Lorelai, and healthy like himself.

"Okay," he says with a rare smile, "let's have a kid."

* * *

><p><strong>An Wasn't feeling this chapter, though I'm sure you could tell. I'm more excited about the next chapter when Molly's husband finally shows up. By the by, chapter lengths probably won't increase too much. Next chapter will be longer and other choice chapters might be longer, but this is just glimpses of passing moments, so they won't be that in depth. Anyway, hope you like it. Next chapter will be later this week or early next week.**


	4. Terrance Par 1

**Terrance - Part 1**

To say that Lorelai is happy is an understatement. It's been three months since she and Luke decided to have a kid together and the doctor just called to tell her that their wish has come true. She's so over the moon that it takes her a while to notice the young man standing by the abandoned front desk.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I hope you haven't been there very long. My name is Lorelai, how may I help you?" she asks, observing him with a sense of déjà vu. He's a little young to be staying at an Inn, maybe nineteen, and overdressed. His black hair is styled just right and his pants and shirt are easily a hundred dollars each. He's handsome, with olive colored skin and bright blue eyes.

"I'm looking for Molly," he says kindly, though there is a darkness in his eyes that make everything fall into place. All the color drains from her face as she realizes who this is. The young man standing before her is Terrance Jameson, Molly's husband and Cody's father. This is the man that still makes Molly constantly have to look over her shoulder. This is the man she's heard about, who raised his hand to darling Molly over and over again. This is the man that broke her spirit in a little under a year of marriage. Molly has been nothing but paranoid about him finding her and now that he has, Lorelai is at a loss over what to do. There aren't cops in Star's Hollow, at least not ones that can deal with a man like Terrance.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment," Lorelai says with a polite smile as she makes her way towards the kitchen, veering off coarse only when she spots Michel.

"Lorelai… Molly has forgotten to wipe down the hall tables… again—"

Lorelai rarely ever likes to listen to Michel complain, but she has less tolerance for it than usual. "Michel, I need you to call Luke and Jackson and tell them to grab at least two other able bodied gentlemen and I need you to do it now," she tells him quietly, her voice dead serious.

"Why do I have to—"

Lorelai cuts him off again, "Look, Michel, that young man at our front desk is Terrance, Molly's husband and while I know you're not a fan of Molly, I know you're not heartless. I don't want to see what he's capable of and I know you don't either so call Luke and Jackson and tell them to get here right away."

Michel nods as he heads into the kitchen. No longer having to go to the kitchen to phone the only able bodied men she knows of, she redirects to go upstairs and warn Molly against going downstairs. Unfortunately as she disappears up the back stairs, Molly is disappearing down the front stairs.

After a quick sweep of the upstairs, she decides that Molly must have gone on a break. She just hopes the teenager is outside and away from Terrance, though if the distressed voices coming from downstairs are anything to go by she'd say it isn't likely.

Quickly Lorelai runs down the front steps to find Molly clutching Cody to her chest while Terrance holds her arm in a vice grip. He's leaned in close to her face and Lorelai's never seen her look so terrified.

"If you don't come back with me right now I will leave you with nothing. I will ruin you. I'll get custody of Cody and you'll never see him again!" he hisses angrily.

"Terrance please, stop, you're making a scene," Molly whispers, her eyes wide with fear.

"Let them look," Terrance says dangerously, his dark eyes flashing violently, "let them see what an ungrateful bitch you are. How _dare_ you leave me. I took care of you, loved you even though you can't do anything right. When you came to me with those pathetic tears in your eyes and told me you were pregnant, I married you. I've been a good husband and father and you _stole _my son from me." His fingers are digging into Molly's arm and Lorelai knows there will be bruises soon. She wants to run in there and throw herself between them but she's frozen in place. Molly's told her about his temper and if he's pushed too far in a fight he'll go for defenseless Cody, obliviously curled in his mother's arms.

"Terrance, stop, please," Molly cries, tears streaming down her cheeks as she begs her husband to let her go.

"Sir, I would highly recommend that you release her arm right now," Lorelai threatens in a desperate attempt to stall for time. She just needs to keep him from advancing any farther on Molly until Luke and the guys arrive.

"I apologize Ma'am, but I am afraid Molly and I must be going. I will pay for any inconvenience this will cause you," he says to Lorelai, his hand still clasped around Molly's arm, a great contrast to his friendly smile and polite words.

"I'm afraid Molly isn't going anywhere," Lorelai says more confidently as she approaches the couple. She squares her shoulders and stands on the tips of her toes to at least try and match Terrance's height. She needs him to see her as a viable threat.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he asks her, his eyes hard as steel, boring into hers.

"I am Lorelai Gilmore, the owner of this establishment, and Molly is my maid. Unless you plan on making the beds and cleaning the rooms yourself, Molly nor Cody is going anywhere. If I have to claw her from your hands," Lorelai threatens in true Gilmore fashion, with a smile.

"Gilmore, you're Richard and Emily's daughter. I've heard many things about you. While this is a wonderful life you've created, not everyone aspires to work in hotel management. Molly and Cody will be coming home with me and there is nothing you can do or say about this." With a fake smile he reaches into his jacket pocket and removes a wad of cash. "This should be enough to cover the loss for a month, plenty of time to find a new maid I hope."

Terrance is reaching for the doorknob when Luke pushes it open form the other side.


	5. Terrance Par 2

**Terrance Part 2**

Luke doesn't like to be compared to Jess often, but even he must admit that the men in his family have a certain predisposition to punch first and ask questions later. It takes every part of him to keep is temper in check when he sees the scene before him. He's never been so furious in his life. The fear in Molly's eyes, the way she clutches Cody to her chest, and the vice grip of a man's hand around her arm, is enough to make him ready to tackle the over-dressed prick. Jackson, Andrew, and Bootsy are behind him, but he shuts the door to them.

The prick holding Molly has the gall to look at him in indignation, like HE is the problem in this.

"Sir, if you would mind—" the spoiled child of a boy begins, but Luke is quick to cut him off.

"I don't care who you are or why you're here. You have exactly thirty seconds to let Molly go and run to your overpriced sweet sixteen birthday present and drive away. She's not going anywhere and if I ever see you around her, Cody, or even Star's Hollow again, I will personally make sure that the only way you'll be attending whatever Ivy League school you're promised to is as a cadaver in the science department," he threatens, his tone even and his face perfectly schooled.

He knows this pathetic excuse for a person is Terrance, Molly's husband. His twin eyes to Cody makes his identity obvious and Luke has never been gladder that Cody highly favors his mother in looks department. Speaking of which, the boy is sensing his mother's distress and beginning to cry. While Molly, Lorelai, and Luke at least flicker in acknowledgement, Terrance does nothing, not even a moment of hesitation or concern for his son. He is no true father.

"I don't know who you are, but you clearly have no idea who you're talking to," Terrance warns, an arrogant smile gracing his handsome face. He releases his hold on Molly to turn fully to Luke, who is happy to take the man's attention away from the trembling maid. Lorelai darts from the stairs to pull her away, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "My father is a very powerful man and do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you? Right here, right now, I could shove a knife into your gut, in front of your wife, my wife and son, and at least ten guests of this pathetic little Inn, and I would still never be convicted. I won't, but I _can_. Do you understand me Sir? Read my lips, I… am… taking… my… wife… home."

"Over, my, dead, body," Luke replies slowly. He would roll up his sleeves if they weren't already pushed high on his arm. He can take this arrogant ass, but Jackson opens the door behind him and the three men outside walk in, glaring at Terrance like he's vermin. Terrance knows he's outmanned, but it doesn't wipe the anger from his face.

"That can be arranged," Terrance hisses angrily, but he backs away, a cocky smirk gracing his features. "I'll be back, not today or tomorrow, but someday. I will return for my wife and son and there will be nothing you or your hick friends can do about it. She's not yours, she's mine." Terrance walks out the door, winking at Molly on his way out. Luke watches him go, never tearing his eyes away until the car is out of sight. It's only then he turns to Molly, hyperventilating on the steps of the front staircase. Cody is crying softly in his playpen, reaching a chubby arm out for his mother. Lorelai is kneeling in front of Molly, whispering soothing phrases and assuring her that they will never let Terrance harm her or Cody ever again.

Even though Molly is a second Rory to him, he knows better than to intervene when Lorelai is comforting someone. Instead he shifts awkwardly, wishing he could say something to make this horrible situation better, but he knows he can't.

Finally he gives up and snatches Cody from the playpen. He hasn't interacted much with the boy, as he never leaves Lorelai or Molly's arms. He's surprised to find he doesn't mind holding Cody so much. It unnerves him a little to see Terrance's eyes staring up at him with such a sweet face behind them. Unlike his father, Cody doesn't have even a flicker of anger. With a gentle smile, the boy grabs hold of the collar of Luke's shirt and pulls himself up on the diner owner's arm.

"Ga!" he explains happily, resting his head against Luke's shoulder. Any distress the infant felt with his mother is gone, replaced with a sweetness and happiness.

"He's going to take him Lorelai," he hears Molly cry. Luke looks up to see the mascara smudged under Molly's eyes as she sobs into her hands.

"Molly, if I have to ship you and Cody off to tour the country with the potential president and Rory, I will. I will keep you safe, I promise."

"You don't understand. I never should have left him, he _always _gets his way and one day he'll get us back and I've made him angry. You can't help me. He'll destroy you. I never should have left. I made a mistake." The despair in Molly's voice is too much.

"Molly, people like him think they rule the world. They just need people to stand up to them. You have the town to support you and I promise I will sooner die then see you go back to him. You don't deserve him and he doesn't deserve you. I will keep you safe."


End file.
